Finding Normal
by MissLivingInDenial
Summary: Charlie Weasley and Rose Davis haven't seen each other since their school days. When Rose accepts the invitation to Bill's wedding, their paths cross once more. Will the coming war bring them closer still? Based on the events of DH with throwbacks to the Hogwarts Mystery mobile game. Rated T to be on the safe side.
1. The Wedding

Just a quick note about this story- this is my first ever fanfic, so please be kind. That being said constructive criticism is 100% appreciated. There are a few lines in this first chapter lifted from the books. I don't want to do this lots, but this story is going to largely stay close to the original canon so there might be the odd bit here and there. The character of Rose is based on the main character of the Hogwarts Mystery Game. However, I'm only on the 4th year of that so I don't know how future events or how the game ends, this is based on how I could see it ending. I own nothing, I'm not an author, this is just something I wanted to do for fun. Enjoy!

* * *

A sense of jittery anticipation had filled the warm tent, the general murmuring broken by occasional spurts of excited laughter. Mr and Mrs Weasley strolled up the aisle, smiling and waving at relatives; Mrs Weasley was wearing a brand new set of amethyst-coloured robes with a matching hat.  
A moment later Bill and Charlie stood up at the front of the marquee, both wearing dress robes, with large, white roses in their buttonholes; Fred wolf-whistled and there was an outbreak of giggling from the Veela cousins. Then the crowd fell silent as music swelled, from what seemed to be the golden balloons.  
"Ooooh!" said Hermione, swivelling round in her seat to look at the entrance. A witch emerged from the back of the marquee, who was most definitely not Fleur, and looked uncertainly around the space. Her eyes found where Bill and Charlie where stood and she gave a quick smile before ducking and taking her seat.  
"Who was that?" Hermione asked, turning back round in her seat to face Ron and the disguised Harry.  
"No idea, maybe one of Bill and Charlie's old school friends. She looked familiar" replied Ron, looking thoughtful. Harry merely shrugged before the trio turned their attention back to the front. Charlie looked as if he might like to go after her but Bill had placed a steadying hand on his shoulder just as the rest of the guests gave a collected sigh as Monsieur Delacour and Fleur came walking up the aisle.

After the ceremony, the marquee was transformed so that a golden dance floor now stood at the centre and all the chairs were gathered around white cloth covered tables. The band had begun to play. Bill and Fleur took to the dance floor first, to great applause; after a while Mr Weasley led Madame Delacour on to the floor, followed by Mrs Weasley and Fleur's father.

Charlie was sat at a table with Hagrid, answering his questions on dragons and how Norberta was fairing. He took a swig of firewhiskey and looked towards the makeshift bar where he once more spotted the late wedding guest. Now the nerves of the ceremony were gone, he finally got to take in her appearance. Her honey blonde hair, which she'd always worn long at school, was now in waves just above her shoulders. She wore a flattering midnight blue dress that just swept the floor. As she moved the fabric of the dress moved with her; causing constellations of twinkling stars to appear across the dress, disappearing when the movement stopped.

He'd always known she was attractive, however his time at school had been spent focused mainly on his quidditch and care of magical creatures to take it any further. But the young woman he saw before him, laughing with Fleur at something Bill had said, made his breath catch in his throat...as well as his firewhiskey. Hagrid's heavy hand, made more forceful by the large tankard of mead the huge man had already consumed, came down hard on his back knocking him clean off his chair. This commotion caused many a head to turn in amusement, but caught the attention of the woman at the bar who waved at Hagrid and made her way over to their table.  
"Blimey, Rose Davis! I haven't seen yeh since yer Hogwarts days!" Hagrid motioned for her to join their table as Charlie, still sputtering, picked himself up off the floor.  
"It's great to see you Hagrid! I'm sorry, I should've kept in contact- well, with everyone really. I've been so busy with Jacob, we took up curse breaking officially after our... experiences with the cursed vaults" she replied, glancing at Charlie's red ears.  
"Nasty business those vaults, not tha' Hogwarts 'as been better in recent times, with all the trouble young 'Arry got into. If yer'll excuse me." Hagrid swayed as he got up from the table to go and talk with Madame Maxime.

The two occupants left at the table glanced awkwardly at each other; each taking a sip of their drink. Charlie drained his glass before placing it on the table and turning to look at his old friend.  
"So, curse breaking then huh?" he asked awkwardly.  
"Yeah, right after we finished school Gringotts head-hunted me. Jacob had just started working for them as well. I guess they were impressed with our previous experience" she replied casually.  
"No surprises there, but I am surprised I haven't bumped into you before now" he said, before quickly clarifying "with you and Bill both working for the goblins of course."  
Rose thought for a moment. "I only really see Bill if we're both back in London, conferring with the British branch. Jacob and I are based in South America, examining cursed Mayan temples and lifting them from Aztec treasure." She went quiet for a moment before regaining her composure. "But tell me about the reserve! I was so happy when Bill told me you had gotten to do your dream job!"

Charlie noticed the way her demeanor had changed talking about her job, but decided not to pry and instead easy conversation flowed, with discussions on the whereabouts of old school friends and all the trouble they'd gotten into. An upbeat Weird Sisters song sounded through the marquee, causing Rose to jump to her feet, dragging Charlie by his hand to the dance floor. They laughed as they both pulled increasingly ridiculous dance moves that the twins saw and immediately began to copy. The upbeat rhythm faded away to a slower song, causing Rose to roll her eyes at the cliche. She smiled at Charlie however as she placed her arms round his neck. He gently placed his hands on her waist and they swayed slowly in time, both struck by how comfortable it felt. She rested her head on his broad shoulder and let out a sigh.  
"What is it?" Charlie asked, pulling back slightly to better look at his partner.  
"It's nothing," Rose replied, looking away.  
"Come on, you can tell me." the pair stopped swaying, Charlie gently pulling her back to sit at their table. He took the seat next to her and watched her expectantly.  
Rose stared back before shrugging "This all just feels so normal, it's nice." She gestured around at the marquee. "I don't remember the last time I got to just feel normal." Charlie didn't really understand so waited for Rose to elaborate. "I wanted to solve the cursed vaults because I wanted my big brother back, and no one else was doing anything to find him. I didn't do it because I wanted to be a hero or for the glory. I finally found my brother and thought I'd get to live a normal life."  
At this moment a young man with curly red hair walked past carrying three butterbeers, who couldn't seem to help but blurt out: "You want to have a chat with Ron's friend Harry; bet you'd have loads in common," before shaking his head with a small grin and walking away. Rose just stared after him before turning to Charlie looking puzzled.  
"That's just cousin Barney; he's a bit odd. What were you saying?" Charlie prompted, not wanting to draw too much more attention to Harry.  
Rose shook herself out of her stupor before continuing. "Oh right, well then school had finished and Gringotts came calling. How could I say no? I was good at it, and it was a chance for Jacob and I to spend time together."  
Charlie noticed how she shifted when she brought up Jacob. "That's not all, is it?" Rose was struck by Charlie's perceptiveness, but then it made sense as reading expressions and body language had always been part of what had made him so gifted at care of magical creatures. "No, it's not just that. Jacob's met someone, and he's lovely, we get on really well. But they want to settle down together."  
"And you're only out there because of Jacob," Charlie finished for her. Rose nodded. "So what do you want to do instead?" he prompted.  
"This is it, I just don't know" she said, sighing and slumping down in her seat.

Charlie thought for a moment, hating to see his friend looking so dejected. "Well why don't you come visit me in Romania? That way I can show you the reserve, and who knows, maybe you'll want to work with the dragons too. It's dangerous work" he added, looking pointedly at all the burns and scars on his arms, "but that's never stopped you before." He finished with a wink.  
Rose chuckled. "That could be cool, I've always wanted to see-" Rose was interrupted by a large, silver lynx gracefully landing in the middle of the dance floor. Then the Patronus' mouth opened wide and it spoke in a loud, deep, slow voice.

_"The ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming." _

Silence fell before panic ensued as masked figures apparated into the tent. Many of the guests were able to apparate away before the death eaters set up an anti-apparition charm. A warm body pressed against Charlie's back as he drew his wand, staring down the uninvited guests in anticipation. He turned his head slightly to see Rose, who also had her wand drawn. Their eyes met for a moment, a silent question passing between them. Rose only managed a quick nod before all hell broke loose.

Rose was firing off spell after spell, quicker than you could say expelliarmus- Charlie remembered it was Bill who had first taught her how to duel. He wished he had Bill's talent for dueling right about now, Charlie had always had much more of a hands-on approach. He soon got to demonstrate this when a death eater strayed too close and he chose to punch him on the nose and kick him away rather than any fancy wand work. There was a sickening crunch as the death eater clutched his nose and stomach, before turning on the spot.  
"Nice punch!" Rose complimented, turning her head away from the battle to look at him. This proved to be a mistake as a flash of purple made her scream in agony. She clutched onto Charlie in an attempt to keep herself upright, however this only served to pull him off balance. They both went tumbling down, just as a flash of green sailed past Charlie's head, just missing its mark.  
Rose turned to him, her mouth agape at their narrow escape, before a pained expression crossed her features and she gripped her side. She let out a hiss as she turned to curse her assailant.

"Enough!" a voice sounded. All firing stopped and their wands were ripped from their hands. All heads turned to the front of the Marquee where a masked figure swept his eyes over them all.

"Where is Harry Potter?"


	2. The Choice

Rose turned onto her side and groaned as her body reminded her of the injuries she'd sustained the day before. She slowly climbed out of the bed and looked around the room she'd been told used to belong to Percy. She'd gotten to know Percy through his brothers, as he often joined them in the library to study. He was a nice boy, if a little bit of a stickler for the rules. She only hoped he'd see sense soon and reconcile with his family; Bill had mentioned before how hurt everyone had been, especially his parents.

As she stretched out her aching limbs, she thought back to the night before. The death eaters had rounded up the remaining guests and questioned them one by one. Charlie had tried to stop them going near her because of the injury, which resulted in him receiving a nasty jinx and Rose getting treated more roughly than the others had been. Otherwise everyone had been left unscathed when it became obvious no one there knew where Harry had gone.

She slowly rose from the bed wearing just her underwear and a shirt Ginny let her borrow. The shirt rose up slightly on her stomach due to Ginny having a smaller frame, so she was able to see the still fresh marks from her injury. A bright purple spider vein like scar was now sat just below her rib, stretching down to just above her hip. Molly had said it would fade in time, but that she'd never fully be rid of it. Rose didn't mind, she had plenty of scars from all her misadventures, she was just grateful it hadn't been more serious.

A gentle knock sounded on the door, before it opened revealing Charlie carrying a tray of delicious smelling food.

"Morning Rose! I hope you're hungry, I think mum might have gone a bit overboard…" he trailed off noticing her state of undress and quickly looked away, his ears reddening. Rose moved back to the bed and quickly got under the covers to avoid any further embarrassment for either of them.

"Sorry, I thought you'd still be asleep or I would've waited" he apologised, concentrating his gaze on the tray he laid carefully in her lap.

"I only just woke up, don't worry about it" she replied, subconsciously rubbing her side. Charlie took a seat on the bed. "How is it?" he asked, gesturing at her side.

"It's fine, really. Molly has done a brilliant job with it. I just need to take it easy for a little while" said Rose, her mouth watering at all the food.

"Mum said you're welcome to stay as long as you need," Charlie informed her.

She grabbed a forkful of pancake, chewing it thoughtfully before swallowing. "I need to head home to my parents place, I told them I'd be home last night. But tell her I said thank you for the offer." Once Rose had demolished everything on the tray, Charlie took it away and left her alone again. She curled back up under the covers and fell back to sleep.

Later in the day, dressed in more borrowed clothes Ginny had left out for her, she headed down the stairs of the Burrow to find Molly Weasley sat at the kitchen table. She started when she spotted Rose stood in the doorway.

"Sorry Rose dear, I was lost in thought there for a moment. How are you feeling?" Molly got up and quickly dried her eyes. She waved her wand and a steady flame appeared on the cooker before she filled the kettle with water and rested it on the flames.

"Much better, thank you Molly. Here, I'll do that, you sit down. It was a long day yesterday" Rose replied, quickly grabbing the tea things from her so she couldn't fuss.

"Thank you, the ceremony was so lovely. It was just a shame the evening was ruined. At least Harry, Ron and Hermione were able to get away. I'm just so worried about them." Molly sat back at the table, dabbing her eyes on her handkerchief.

Rose had met most of the Weasley family during her time at Hogwarts, but had left before either Ron or Ginny had started, only seeing glimpses of the two when they were all younger and she'd visit Bill and Charlie at the Burrow during the summers. She'd of course heard of the boy-who-lived, and remembered briefly reading about Hermione in the prophet during the Tri-Wizard tournament disaster. But she didn't know any of them well enough to determine how they'd cope with the ministry and You-Know-Who's lot on their tails. She just hoped they were smart enough to avoid detection.

The Weasley family clock chimed, Arthur's hand moving from work to home. A whooshing sound from the fireplace signalled his arrival. Molly got up to greet him, brushing the soot off his face before placing a kiss there. Rose handed them the mugs of tea she'd made, before making another for herself.

"Good evening Mr Weasley" said Rose, stirring her tea.

"Good evening Rose, you look as if you're feeling better. And please, call me Arthur" he replied with a smile. Rose smiled back, raising her mug to her lips and leaning back against the counter.

"Where's everyone else?" Arthur asked his wife, both of them sitting down at the table.

"Bill and Fleur are at the cottage with the Delacours who are helping them get settled in. And the boys and Ginny are down at the orchard, they should be back soon." Molly snuck a glance at Ron and Percy's hands, then quickly dabbed at her eyes once more. Arthur nodded. "We'll need to speak to them all later about being careful. The ministry will be keeping an eye on us now." Arthur gave Molly a meaningful glance but said no more. Rose glanced between the two before asking "is this because of your family's connection to Harry Potter?" They exchanged another glance before nodding.

Another whoosh from the fireplace announced the arrival of Bill, who shook himself off and strode into the room, patting his father on the shoulder and kissing his mother on the cheek.

"How was it, dad?" Bill asked.

"It's not looking good, I want to talk about it with everyone else later" Arthur replied, glancing up at Rose. Bill followed the movement and nodded, before gesturing Rose to follow him to the sitting room.

Bill pulled his friend into a hug before asking her how she was feeling.

"Loads better thanks to your mum's healing spells and fantastic cooking," Rose said smiling. Bill chuckled. "Glad to hear it!" His face turned serious before continuing, "there's no easy way to say this Rose, but if you were planning on staying out of what's coming you'll want to keep far away from us. We're a target for the ministry now, and they'll come here again when Ron doesn't turn up for school in September."

"I haven't decided yet. We'd only really heard whispers in South America, so I didn't really know how bad things were getting," Rose replied honestly.

"I doubt you'll be able to get back to America now. The ministry is going to be even tighter on the issuing of portkeys and we already know they're watching the floo network," Bill had began to pace the room, thinking of the best ways to keep his friend safe.

"That's if you wanted to back to America though, right Rose?" Charlie asked, having just arrived back with his siblings.

Rose smiled at his entrance before continuing; "I'm on leave from the bank with some really long overdue holiday, so that's taken care of. I'll probably continue staying with my parents and we'll try and keep each other safe. What about the both of you? Neither of you are going to be able to leave the country either."

"I'm technically on my honeymoon," replied Bill with a wolfish grin amplified by his silvery scars, "but I've transferred over to the London branch for now. It means I'm closer to Fleur and- well, everyone else..." Bill trailed off, looking worried he might say too much.

"I'm on temporary leave as well. This is where I'm needed right now" said Charlie, glancing at Bill.

Rose looked between the two of them, studying them carefully. "There's something you're not telling me; you and your parents. Something bigger than your younger brother being Harry's best friend. What is it?" Charlie looked ready to tell her everything, but Bill shook his head slightly before turning back to look at her. "I can't and won't say much, but the ministry is finished; there's no one left to stand up to You-Know-Who. People have either got to keep their heads down and pray they survive long enough for other people to save them, or they have to take a stand. I've made my decision, we all have. You need to make yours too Rose."

"I just want to live a normal life," said Rose, hanging her head and moving closer to the fireplace. "I have to go home, mum and dad will be worrying by now. Tell your mum I said thank you and"- she grabbed a pinch of floo powder- "hopefully I'll see you both soon." She gave the address of her parents before dropping the powder. With a loud whoosh she was swallowed by the green flames.

Bill began to walk back to the kitchen before Charlie called out after him, "she'll be back Bill. She never could stand by and do nothing. That is her normal."


	3. The Decision

The Burrow was uncharacteristically quiet. Mr and Mrs Weasley were out with Ginny, purchasing her school supplies. Bill had gone with them for added security. The twins were at their shop, desperately attempting to keep people's spirits up with humour and hijinks.

Seemingly overnight the wizarding world had gotten even darker. The ministry had decreed that all muggle-borns were to report to the ministry for questioning. The majority had gone into hiding, seeing the decree for what it truly was. What was left of the Order were still trying to meet to see what could be done, but they had to be careful. It hadn't escaped any of their notice the pairs of eyes that followed them when they did venture out in public.

The sudden roar of the fire shocked Charlie out of his musings. It was far too early for his family to be back from their outing. Wand gripped tightly, he made his way to the sitting room.

"Charlie!" a frantic voice called out. In a flash, Charlie had leapt into the sitting room and grabbed the intruder by the shoulder, wand pointed dangerously at their throat.

"Rose?" He took in her disheveled appearance with suspicion. He knew Rose had gone back to stay with her wizard parents, so why did she look as if she'd just been in a fight? She looked terrified, her eyes trained on his wand "Charlie, it's me. Please, I didn't know where else to go!"  
"What was the first creature Kettleburn had us learn about in our first Care of Magical Creatures class?" he asked, not looking her in the eye in case it was an imposter after all.

"It was a firecrab, we had to sketch it without it setting fire to our parchments" Rose replied quickly. Charlie instantly backed off, convinced this was the real Rose Davis. "Sorry Rose, we've got to be really tough on security. Not that I'm not pleased to see you, but what are you doing here? What happened?" He lead her over to the sofa so she could sit and recount her story.

"It's this awful decree against muggle-borns. My dad's parents were muggles so he was summoned to the ministry. Obviously he wasn't going to hand himself in, so we laid low. Jacob worried when he hadn't heard from any of us so flooed over, but they must've been watching because then all these ministry officials appeared demanding dad went with them. Jacob was stood nearest to my parents so apparated them out. I can only guess he's taken them out of the country." As Rose recounted her story she became more teary as the emotion of the day caught up with her.

Charlie handed her a tissue and slowly rubbed circles on her back. "Hey it's okay, they're safe now. I bet Jacob will throw them off before getting them out of the country." He paused for a moment, before continuing: "how did you get away though?"

"I didn't at first, they wanted to bring me in as well. But when they looked at mum's blood status they let me off with a warning and left. I grabbed the bag I had ready just in case and flooed here. I didn't know where else to go." Rose suddenly looked worried, in case she'd put the Weasleys in any more danger.

"Were you in Ravenclaw or not, Rose Davis? You know you're welcome here any time. That includes when hiding from our corrupt ministry." Charlie laughed at the outraged look on her face. Rose rolled her eyes before gently smacking his arm away.

The two shared a companionable silence for a moment before Rose became serious again. "Hey, Charlie?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, what's up?" he glanced sideways at her, ears going slightly pink.

"I've made up my mind, I am going to join this fight. Someone has to make a stand. We can't leave it all up to a 17 year old, death-defying or not." Rose said with fierce determination. Charlie gave her a wide grin and pulled her to her feet. "Rose Davis, how would you feel about joining the Order of the Phoenix?"


	4. The Meeting

A meeting had been summoned for the Friday. With both Dumbledore and Moody gone, leadership of the Order of the Phoenix fell to Kingsley and Remus. The Weasley family, minus Molly, Ginny and Fleur, were gathered around the table alongside the other members. Kingsley stood at the door keeping watch. Rose sat nervously between Bill and Charlie. This was to be her official induction into the order, and she wanted to make a good impression.

With the old headquarters out of action thanks to one Severus Snape, the order met at a number of different locations. Some, like the disused cottage they were in now, had been used by the order during the first war. Fortunately its location had never been discovered so was safe for them to meet in. That was about the only thing safe about it however. Clearly no one had been there since the original downfall of You-Know-Who, and the pressure of the magical wards placed upon it had begun to show. The curtain of dust covering everything would be the least of their worries.

A rhythmic knocking sounded on the old wooden door, signalling the arrival of the last members. Kingsley opened the door and immediately grilled them with security questions. Passing the tests, they emerged from behind Kingsley, and Rose gasped. Stood next to the tired-looking older man with the sandy hair and scars, not dissimilar to Bill's, was a witch with bubblegum-pink hair that Rose knew very well.

"Tonks!" She leapt from her chair and rushed to hug the woman.

The two friends caught up, feeling as if they'd never been apart. They made their way over to the table, and as they sat down Rose's eyes bugged upon seeing the simple yet beautiful ring that rested on Tonk's left hand. Noticing where Rose's eyes had travelled, Tonks gave a sheepish grin and gestured to the man she'd walked in with. "Remus and I married earlier in the summer. Sorry Rose, we would have invited you, but with things the way they are at the minute…"

"I understand, don't worry," Rose smiled at both Tonks and Remus to reassure them. The two shared a look before Remus gave a quick shake of his head and Tonks shrugged in response, but gripped his hand nonetheless, rubbing her thumb over his hand in reassuring circles. As Rose opened her mouth to speak, Kingsley cleared his throat. "For those of you not aware, this is Rose Davis. Rose has recently returned from South America where she was a curse-breaker. She has decided to help us with our fight."

The meeting began. Discussions ranged from the ministry's recent muggle-born legislation, to the state of Hogwarts in the wake of the new school year.

"Minerva informed me they've made Snape headmaster"- dark looks crossed the faces of those present at the mention of the former potions master- "and he has employed the Carrows," Kingsley's low baritone sounded. "They will be conducting searches on the train for both muggle-borns and Harry."

"Speaking of Harry, I saw him the other evening," Remus announced, noticing the anxious faces of the Weasley family, "Ron and Hermione too. They're safe, "I can't tell you their whereabouts, and I can't tell you the nature of the mission Dumbledore has left for them; only that it has to be completed by Harry. He would not accept my help." Great sighs of relief could be heard round the table at the knowledge of the trios' safety.

The meeting was adjourned, with talk of another meeting in two weeks time to discuss plans of action and what individual members were able to accomplish. Rose had put herself forward for active missions if they became necessary; eager to help in any way she could.

She said goodbye to many of the members before spotting Remus helping Tonks into her coat. They hugged goodbye before Rose felt the need to reassure Remus, "you've done the right thing, Harry shouldn't have been as harsh in what he said, but I think it hit too close to home. He'll have already forgiven you, you should forgive him, and yourself." Remus blinked a few times before nodding and moving aside to let his wife say her goodbyes. After making Tonks promise to look after herself, Rose watched them both go.

She turned to find Mr Weasley so they could return to the Burrow, but found herself face to face with Bill, "what was that about?" he asked her. At her confused expression, Bill glanced at Charlie for back up.  
"Back with Remus just then, about Harry" he prompted, stepping towards them.

Rose sighed before responding "my brother Jacob is a legilimens. It's how we communicated during his disappearance when I was investigating the vaults. He would give me clues, as well as warnings," seeing the awed way they were looking at her she added "I'm not as good as him, I can't read minds or anything. Just strong feelings. Remus was projecting some serious guilt which I was then able to focus on and saw a glimpse of what happened."

Rose looked between her friends; Charlie almost looked comical with his mouth hanging open. Bill on the other hand, was the picture of nonchalance. He was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. After what felt like hours he pushed off the wall and stood in front of her "that's cool" he offered casually, giving her a friendly smile before handing her a slip of paper,

"This is where Fleur and I live. We've performed the fidelius charm on it and I'm the secret keeper. If you need somewhere safe, you are always welcome. See you soon Rose." With that Bill made his exit. Rose unfurled the bit of paper and memorised the address, before bringing her wand to touch the paper. Flames spread across the white surface and Rose quickly threw it into the long-dead fireplace. She stood and exited the house, where Charlie and the rest of the family were waiting.


	5. The Waiting Game

Sorry for the wait for this part, lots going on right now but hopefully I'll get back to regular posting soon!

* * *

The weeks following the meeting blurred into one for Rose. Kingsley had informed her that when something became available she would hear from him, so she waited.

With still no news from Jacob or her parents, and unable to bear staying alone at her family home, she had taken Molly up on her offer of staying at the Burrow. To help pass the time until she could do something useful for the Order, she had eagerly taken on a portion of the household chores, hoping she would find the piece of normalcy she had been missing.

Tending to the chickens and locating where they had laid their eggs that day had been entertaining, at first. She had taken great pleasure in displacing the Burrow's gnome infestation, at first. But the lack of- well, anything, and the repetition of her days soon had her feeling bored, and restless.

It was on a seemingly average day in late August where Rose's boredom reached its peak. She found herself once again de-gnoming the burrows large, overgrown garden. No matter how many times she got rid of the little buggers, nor whether she used her arm or her magic to throw them, they always returned, albeit grumbling and a little disorientated.

Spotting yet another small creature come crawling back through the undergrowth, Rose let out a sound not dissimilar to a battle cry and began sprinting towards it. The poor gnomes eyes grew wide as it watched the angry woman come hurtling towards it. The poor creature desperately tried to get back under the safety of the bushes, but Rose was too quick for its tiny legs. As she reached the gnome she swung her leg and booted the poor creature with all her might. The gnome went soaring through the air and disappeared far into the English countryside.

Knowing it would be a long time before that particular gnome found its way back, Rose smiled and sat down with a satisfied sigh.

"You know, if nothing else works out for you I reckon you might have a career as one of those muggle football stars," a familiar voice chuckled. Whipping her head round in the direction of the voice, Rose watched as Charlie made his way over to her from the back door of the Burrow, as he drew near her he handed her a letter and said "this just arrived for you."

Hoping it was news from her parents, she took it from him and eagerly opened it. Folding open the paper she quickly scanned over it, before turning it over and doing the same.

"It's blank" she challenged.

"Yes" Charlie answered cryptically. Rose scrutinised the page again before drawing her wand.

"Revelio" she said softly, holding her wand to the page. Within moments, the blank page was now a short note in Kingsley's hand, calling her to a meeting the following evening.

"That was a little simple, wasn't it? Anyone with a basic knowledge of charms could have read this" she pointed out.

"It's a modified version of the spell. Only the person the letter is intended for can reveal the message," noticing her about to argue more he added "and the intended person can't reveal the information if they are being forced to," Charlie finished, believing his answer would satisfy her.

"What about-" she started but stopped when Charlie began to laugh, "what's so funny?" she challenged, glaring at him.

"Nothing, I just love how you have to question everything" at that Charlie turned away, a pink tinge forming on his freckled cheeks. Rose looked at him quizzically before he cleared his throat "Anyway, I got a note too but mum and dad didn't. Must be a mission"

"Finally! I was starting to lose my mind waiting" Rose exclaimed.

Charlie held out his hand to help her up "well don't get too excited, we don't know what it is yet" he pointed out as he began walking back to the house.

"I guess" Rose replied, giving the vast garden one last look before following him back inside, her mind buzzing with what her first mission would entail.


	6. The Mission

Rose didn't know what she was expecting from her first mission; mild danger perhaps, after all the wizarding world was at war, but not enough for her to worry too much about. A small challenge maybe, something to put her intelligent mind to use but nothing too strenuous on her part. Efficient and clever wandwork yes, but only in small amounts. She thought she would get her task done in a matter of hours, and be home in time to enjoy some of Mrs Weasley's home cooking.

What she had of course forgotten was how outnumbered the Order was now, there was no training period for new recruits, no breaking you in gently to the realities of the situation. It was already dire and it had only just begun.

This harsh reality had been brought to her yesterday at Kingley's meeting. Charlie and Rose arrived at that weeks safe house to find him in deep discussion with Remus. A few moments later and Bill arrived with Fleur, and Kingsley confirmed that this was everyone before giving out the details of their mission. They all left later that evening, apparating to their destination and finding chaos.

Rose was brought out of her musings by Remus shaking her shoulder and whispering "Rose, we have to move. Now." She nodded her head, her now lank hair falling in front of her eyes. She brushed it to the side of her face with one hand, and gripped her wand tightly in front of her with the other. The ceiling above them groaned as she moved from sitting underneath the windowsill, and with a nervous look upwards, began crouching out of the room after him. As she reached the door the whole house shook from the impact of a spell hitting the now unstable wards, their last defense against the death eaters. This proved too much for the building, and with one last groan the ceiling collapsed in the room they had just left. They made their way to the dining room where they found the rest of the team, as well as their charges. Seeing them brought Rose's mind back to the meeting where Kingsley had told them the nature of their mission.

"_The muggle prime minister and his government have been on damage control for a while now. The death and destruction caused by wizards has been covered up and put down to natural disasters. They are trusting us to keep them safe. If their prime minister falls, nothing stands in His way from controlling both magic and non-magic people alike" Kingsley explained, pausing to allow everyone to take it in before continuing. "When the ministry fell, I acted quickly to seal the floo entrance in No. 10, they can't open it again from their side. I've also placed wards along the street to keep both the death eaters and muggles away, but they won't last much longer. I need to get the prime minister and his family out to a safe house" he finished._

"_So what do you need us to do?" Bill asked calmly. _

"_Keep the death eaters out" Kingsley replied, eyeing them all carefully._

Charlie pulled Rose over to him, drawing her into a hug. She leaned into him before drawing away, aware of how much she ached and how tired she felt, knowing that if she got too comfortable then her body would give in to the sleep she very much wanted.

"That's everyone else out. I'm going to have to bring down most of the wards for the portkey to work. Once I'm gone, the other wards will begin to fall. You need to apparate yourselves out. Ready? Now!" with that Kingsley, the prime minister and his family were gone.

Rose felt a rush of relief knowing that if knowing else, those they had promised to protect would be safe. This relief was short lived when she noticed the others had begun to disappear. "Rose!" Bill yelled, his eyes wide. She looked at him and noticed Fleur had her arm through his, preparing to apparate together. Just as she raised her own wand, there was an almighty crash that pulled her off her feet.

"No!" came Bill's voice before the tell-tale crack signalled his departure. She jumped when someone pulled her up, but relaxed slightly when she looked into Fleur's determined dark blue eyes.

"Come on, we 'ave to go!" Rose gripped onto Fleur's arm and waited for the pull at her navel, but it never came. She glanced at Fleur and watched as she tapped her wand against her hand "It eez not working!"

"They must have put up anti-apparition wards! We'll have to find a way out so we can get past them" Rose replied, her own mind whirring with how they could do this, trying to forget how slim their chances were. The house continued to shake and groan around them as the death eaters fought against the last remaining defences. "We'll move into the kitchen, there might be an exit there." Or at least somewhere to hide, she thought.

The two women crept quietly, before reaching their destination. A quick glance around them filled them with a flicker of hope. An exit. They turned to look at one another, and seemed to reach an unspoken agreement as Rose advanced on the door, closely followed by Fleur. A quick alohomora and they were out in the cool night air, locking the door behind them to create another barrier between them and the dark wizards.

Rose let the breeze wash over her; never had fresh air felt so good after being trapped in a collapsing building for over 24 hours. A light brush against her shoulder let her know Fleur was on the move again, and she followed her to the end of the garden, her moonlit silvery hair guiding the way.

Before long they reached a fence marking the end of the garden. "'Ow will we know when ze wards run out?" breathed Fleur anxiously. A bang from the other end of the garden told the women they weren't alone. Rose tapped her wand on Fleur's head before doing the same to herself, hoping the cool trickle of disillusion would buy them more time to make their escape.

"There's no one else here. They must have all left" came a voice, startling the women.

"It's our job to check. If we're lucky we'll find a few filthy muggles hiding in the bushes. Homenum Revelio!" came a second repulsive voice.

"Anything?" asked the first.

"Knew it! There's two of them, you go that way. I'll go this way" the second voice replied. Rose knew they didn't have long before they were found, disillusion charm or not. She continued feeling along the fence hoping for a gap, silently cursing the minister for keeping his garden in such good repair.

"_Rose...Rose, keep moving. They're close" _Jacob's voice sounded clearly in her head.

"_Jacob! Where are you? Are you safe? What about mum and dad?" _Rose thought back.

"_We're all fine, just focus on yourself. There's a loose panel to your right, both of you should be able to slip through. The anti-apparition wards end just after the fence. You can do this…" _With that, Rose felt Jacob's presence leave her mind and found the loose panel, giving it a push. It fell with a loud thud.

"What was that?" came one of the voices.

"I don't know, you're closer, go check it out. It might be them muggles trying to give us the slip!"was the reply.

Rose quickly grabbed Fleur's arm and one after the other they slipped through the gap.

"Now!" Fleur yelled and they both turned onto the spot, finally leaving the garden and its unpleasant occupants behind them.


	7. The Reunion

The tension in the safehouse was thick. Even thicker than the dust lingering on all the surfaces. So thick in fact, even Snape's _Sectumsempra _curse would have struggled to cut it.

Sat at the rickety old table were Tonks and the twins, their game of Exploding Snap lying abandoned, still slightly smoking at the edges. Behind Tonks stood Remus, hands clasped firmly on her shoulders. Charlie stood by the door, waiting for Kingsley to arrive. Bill Weasley paced furiously across the already threadbare carpet, the glow of the fireplace behind him casting a menacing figure. The others had already attempted asking him to stop, but if he responded at all, it was with a glare. So they left him to it.

George and Fred Weasley had never been able to stand silence, especially tense silences such as this. With a quick nod and a smirk, George opened his mouth, determined to lift the spirits of all present. "Hey, did you ever hear the one about the wizard who…"

Two loud pops, one after the other rang through the dilapidated house, interrupting a truly terrible joke and causing all the occupants to jump to their feet. As soon as Fleur had fully appeared, Bill had her wrapped in his arms and his head buried in her neck.

After checking Rose for injuries, Tonks pulled her friend into a tight hug. The two women's safe arrival back at the safe house meant the mission was a true success, with the objective accomplished and no casualties sustained. Rose couldn't help but watch the recently wedded couple with a strong sense of guilt. Her short moment of hesitation could have cost someone else's life, as well as the happiness of one of her best friends. She looked across the room over Tonk's shoulder, and caught Charlie's eye, prompting a grin. She gave him a small smile of her own. At least two people weren't disappointed in her.

Finally disentangling herself from Tonks, Rose allowed herself to look back at Bill and Fleur, regretting this decision at the glare the former gave her. The logical part of her brain screamed at her to run, but she channeled some of her friends' Gryffindor courage and took a step towards him, "Bill I'm so…"

"Sorry? For which part? Nearly getting Fleur killed, or yourself?" Bill spat. Rose could only stare at her friend in shock; he had never raised his voice at her before, not even when he was a prefect and had caught her and Rowan out after curfew. Hot, silent tears fell down her face as she hung her head. She felt a hand on her shoulder from Tonks, whose hair had turned a fiery red.

"Bill, you need to calm down." Remus spoke evenly and calmly, but not without taking a step in front of his mate and her friend.

"And where were you, Remus? Rose was your responsibility! She was supposed to be shadowing you!" Bill shouted back, his anger white hot with no signs of cooling off. The rest of the group all responded to this, defending her and Remus.

During the chaos, Kingsley's knock nearly went unheard. Thankfully Charlie had stayed by his post and, after issuing a security question, let him in.

"That is enough!" Remus had come to stand in front of Bill, his eyes briefly flashing amber. Recognising the command, Bill backed down. Fleur, who had stayed by Bill's side, rested her hand on his arm "Bill, I am fine. Rose eez fine. Please stop zis"

Kingsley took this moment to clear his throat, and everyone's attention moved to him. "The muggle prime minister and his family have been relocated to their safe house. Only I know their location. To keep them, as well as myself, safe. I will now go into hiding. I suggest the rest of you lie low, or do the same." His eyes swept around the room.

Recognising the dismissal for what it was, and relieved the long, trying night was finally over, the house quickly cleared. Bill and Fleur were first, stepping outside to apparate home, followed by the twins who returned to their flat. Remus moved to talk quietly with Kingsley, leaving Rose, Tonks and Charlie to talk.

Rose looked between the two of them before speaking. "I don't think I've ever seen Bill so angry before."

"Me neither. We all have the famous Weasley temper, some more than others; Ron is terrible. But Bill has always kept a hold of his," Charlie offered.

"It's a wolf thing," Tonks replied. When she was just met with blank stares, she continued: "Bill isn't a full wolf like Remus, but it will still have given him some of the traits. A temper and an over-protectiveness for his mate. Stubbornness too, but then that might just be my husband," Tonks finished with a smirk at Remus, who had just appeared at her side, rolling his eyes and kissing her head.

"Alright, but it still doesn't excuse what he said to Rose" said Charlie, crossing his arms.

"No, and it wasn't true either." Kingsley nodded to Rose. "I'm sorry Rose, if things were different, we'd have given you more training before letting you on active missions. As it was, you were brilliant thinking on your feet and getting yourselves out."

"Yes! You have to tell us how you did it!" Tonks nodded eagerly.

"Perhaps you can tell us on the way back. Dora and I would be happy to apparate you back" said Remus, smiling at her. Rose smiled back at them, before looking back to Charlie.

"Before you go, Charlie, could I have a word? asked Kingsley.

"Sure," Charlie replied, before giving Rose a hug. "I'll see you back at the Burrow, okay?"

Rose nodded, before walking after Tonks and Remus, the former already firing off a dozen questions. As she linked arms with her companions, she looked back at the near-crumbling building; feeling glad at least she wouldn't have to see it anymore, before her thoughts were interrupted by a strong pull at her navel.


	8. The Ministry

_Thank you so much to everyone for taking the time to read my story and follow it! I couldn't find the inspiration for a long time to write, but it really helps me to stay motivated! I hope this can distract people for a little bit during this time. Keep safe!_

* * *

It was a day like any other in Westminster, London. Commuters hurried about on their way to work, perhaps stopping briefly to admire the sun peeking through the clouds, before purchasing their morning paper and hopping on the tube.

On a deserted side road suddenly appeared three redheaded figures. Two of them were men: one younger and stocky, the other older and balding. The third was a young woman with waist-length hair, brown eyes blinking in the sunlight; Rose had always had a knack for transfiguration. The oldest of the trio started walking towards the main road, with the younger two following behind.

Just before they got to the main road, Mr Weasley turned to them. "Now remember, keep your heads down. But don't act like you're hiding anything. Rose, you'll come with me to my office. If anyone asks…"

"I'm Rose Weasley, your niece who's come to visit you to see about working for the Ministry," Rose replied in a rehearsed voice.

Mr Weasley smiled at her before continuing, "And Charlie you're headed to the Department of Magical Transportation which is on…"

"Floor 6, and I'm looking for the portkey office, wanting to book a portkey to return to my work in Romania. Don't worry Dad, I've got my written notice from work, we won't have any trouble," said Charlie, a grin on his face.

At this Arthur looked worried, "It might not be that easy Charlie, you know how some wizards are about us. Not to mention our connection to... well, you know."

At this, Rose gave the worried man a hug and said "We'll be okay Arthur," and in a whisper added "so will Ron and the others." Offering her a grateful smile, he gave both of them a couple of small, golden tokens and they continued on their way.

They stepped out onto the main road together, walking fifty yards before coming across spiked black railings flanking two flights of steps, one labelled Gentlemen, the other, Ladies.

"We'll see you in a moment, then Rose." Charlie gave her a small smile before disappearing down the stairs. Rose joined the queue of ministry witches walking down the steps into the ladies'. She arrived into what appeared to be an ordinary underground public toilet, tiled in grimy black and white.

She followed the lead of the other witches and waited for a free cubicle. When it was her turn, she inserted one of her golden tokens into a slot in the door, allowing her entrance to the cubicle. As Rose stepped into the toilet bowl and prepared to flush herself, she felt relieved Mr Weasley had briefed them on what to expect. She'd have felt incredibly foolish just standing there not knowing what to do. She reached up, pulled the chain, and next moment had zoomed down a short chute, emerging out of a fireplace into the Ministry of Magic.

Getting up quickly, she brushed the soot from her robes and moved away from the fireplace, not wanting another witch or wizard to suddenly come crashing into the back of her. Walking through the atrium, Rose tried not to stare at the grotesque statue that had been installed in its centre. Inwardly she felt sick to her very core, but her face was a composed mask.

She spotted Mr Weasley waiting for her to the side of the statue and made her way over to him. When she reached him she whispered "It's horrible."

He nodded before letting her know that Charlie had already gone on ahead, and with that they made their way towards the golden gates.

Passing through them, they arrived in a smaller hall and joined the queues that had formed in front of twenty golden grilles housing as many lifts. The grille opened in front of them and they piled in with the other wizards and witches. As the lift reached level 2, the tannoy announced their arrival at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and they stepped out, Arthur leading her to his office.

They spent the next half an hour or so with Arthur attempting to get through paperwork and Rose attempting to show interest in the department. It wasn't that she thought Arthur's work was dull, she had just never imagined herself with a desk job. Looking up at the clock, she noticed almost an hour had passed since arriving at the office. She could really do with a coffee, or she was going to fall asleep.

"How about we take a coffee break, Rose?" Arthur asked her. She nodded, standing up and stretching, before following Arthur out of his office. At the entrance to the hall housing the lifts, an elderly witch, whose blonde hair was teased so high it resembled an anthill, approached them.

"Arthur, I wonder if I might have a word?" she asked.

"Yes of course, Wakanda. We were just on our way to grab a coffee. We can discuss it on the way" Arthur responded, smiling at Rose.

The woman fell into step beside them, looking sideways at Rose. "Is this your daughter, Arthur? Shouldn't she have gone to Hogwarts yesterday?"

"No no, this is my niece Rose. She's visiting, and asked to see if life at the Ministry would be a possible career path for her. I boarded Ginny safely onto the Hogwarts Express yesterday, thank you for asking." Arthur's reply was polite but firm.

Rose tuned the two of them out, letting her thoughts drift to Charlie and how he might be getting on. She shook herself out of her thoughts as the lift doors opened in front of them.

"... I quite understand what you're saying, Wakanda, but I'm afraid I cannot be party to-" Arthur broke off, glaring with intense dislike at one of the men already in the lift. He was incredibly tall and powerfully built, with dark hair and a beard.

She had never seen him before in her life, but he was staring at her intently. He seemed to realise she wasn't who he thought she was, shaking his head slightly before meeting Arthur's eye. She continued staring at him, feeling something not quite right as the three of them stepped in and the doors closed behind them, the lift continuing its downward descent.

A steady dripping sound alerted her to the other man in the lift. Arthur seemed to have just noticed him too. "Oh, hello Reg. Isn't your wife in for questioning today? Er - what's happened to you? Why are you so wet?"

"Yaxley's office is raining," said the man called Reg. He would only address Mr Weasley's shoulder, "I couldn't stop it, so they've sent me to get Bernie - Pillsworth, I think they said -"

"Yes, a lot of offices have been raining lately," said Mr Weasley. "Did you try _meteolojinx recanto? _It worked for Bletchley."

"_Meteolojinx recanto?_" the man whispered. "No, I didn't. Thanks, D - I mean, thanks, Arthur." Rose's eyes widened at the man's near slip up. It couldn't be.

The lift doors opened; Wakanda stepped out and Reg darted past her out of sight. The taller man made to follow him, but found his path blocked as Percy Weasley strode into the lift, his nose buried in a sheaf of papers. Rose rolled her eyes fondly- at least that much hadn't changed about Percy since Hogwarts.

The doors clanged shut once again, startling Percy. He looked up from his notes at his father, turned radish red, and left the moment the doors opened again. For the second time, the tall, dark haired man attempted to leave the lift, but Arthur had stuck his arm out, blocking his path. "One moment, Runcorn."

The lift doors closed and as they moved down yet another floor, Arthur said, "I hear you laid information about Dirk Cresswell." Rose watched the man as he tried to work out how to respond. She began to use a little of her legilimency to gently probe his mind, hoping to find answers to her unsettled feelings.

"Sorry?" he said.

"Don't pretend, Runcorn," said Arthur fiercely. "You tracked down the wizard who faked his family tree, didn't you?" Runcorn's eyes widened. The man clearly had no idea what Arthur was referring to, which meant he was either very stupid, or wasn't Runcorn at all. Perhaps with a little more probing, Rose could find out which it was.

"I-so what if I did?" said Runcorn. "So, Dirk Cresswell is ten times the wizard you are," Arthur said quietly, as the lift sank ever lower. "And if he survives Azkaban, you'll have to answer to him, not to mention his wife, his sons and his friends-"

"Arthur," the man interrupted, "you know you're being tracked, don't you?"

With this last outburst, Rose was pretty sure this man was not the real Runcorn, and as he'd been with the man who was not Reg, she had a pretty good idea of who the two of them were. What she couldn't understand was what they would be doing at the Ministry. Aside from maybe attending a Death Eater birthday party, this was really the last place they should be.

"Is that a threat, Runcorn?" said Mr Weasley loudly.

"No," said fake-Runcorn, "it's a fact! They're watching your every move-"

The lift doors opened. They had reached the Atrium at last. Mr Weasley gave not-Runcorn a scathing look and swept from the lift. Rose followed, but not before looking back into the lift and giving Harry a smile. He might not know her, and she'd only heard about him from the others, but she'd try to keep an eye out for him for the rest of the day. She'd like to know that the boy-who-lived continued to live another day.

She'd have to remind Arthur of the telling off he'd given Harry later- it wasn't safe to tell him now. She dreaded to think how many ears these walls had.

In the atrium, they found Charlie waiting for them. His father took them to the nearby cafeteria and bought the three of them coffee, before returning to his office with instructions on how to leave the ministry again when they were ready.

The two of them sat for a little recounting their mornings. Charlie had been successful in his application, with his portkey to Romania booked for tomorrow morning. It didn't give them much time.

With their coffees finished, the two made their way back to the atrium and approached one of the many fireplaces to make their journey home. Charlie stepped in ahead of her, and grabbing a fistful of powder, Rose made to step in beside him.

The sound of grates falling shut stopped her dead in her tracks. Whipping her head round to look at Charlie, the fear filling her gut reflected in his eyes. He yanked her in by the arm and she quickly threw the powder. Green flashed all around them, a loud whooshing filled their ears.

Together they appeared in the ladies public bathroom, before sprinting up the stairs and into the busy street. Not looking back to see if they'd been followed, they kept running until they reached a side road. Safe from prying eyes they both turned on the spot, thinking of the safety of the Burrow.

* * *

_There were similarities in this chapter to the one written by Our Queen J.K, I wanted this to reflect the journey that Charlie and Rose make as the events are happening on the same day!_


End file.
